Prima Facie Evidence: People Vs. O. J Trial

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Recommended: The role of the prosecutor in a criminal trial

The burden of proof in any case lies to the prosecutor. The prosecutor has to provide evidence that proves the defendant is guilty beyond reasonable doubt. It is the work of the prosecutor to convince, through evidence, the judge or the jury of a criminal case that the accused committed the offense and did so knowingly or out of negligence. The evidence must point the defendant as guilty such that any reasonable person would have no doubt of a guilty verdict. The prosecutor’s evidence in a criminal case must be of a set standard such that no other logical explanation can be derived from the facts except that the accused committed the offense. Prima facie evidence refers to evidence that is sufficient to prove a conviction against a defendant …show more content…

O.J trial, there were other key evidence materials that challenged the prima facie murder case of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. First was the crime scene blood where blood drops were found alongside bloody shoeprints leading away from the bodies of Nicole and Goldman, there was blood on a gate at the back of the condominium, and blood from both sites contained O.J’s genetic markers. O.J had a cut on his hand when interviewed by police after the murders. The defence alleged that the blood samples were collected improperly and handled poorly rendering the DNA results unreliable. The bloody gloves found on the crime scene and the one found behind O.J’s guest house were cashmere-line Aris Light leather similar to the 2 pairs Nicole bought for her husband in 1990. The blood on the gloves seemed to contain Simpson’s genetic markers and had a long strand of blond hair similar to Nicole’s. The defence disputed by suggesting that the glove was planted by detective Fuhrman who they termed as a racist trying to fix Simpson and that hair analysis is not sophisticated enough to be trusted in a prima facie of murder. Then there was a pair of dark, crumpled socks whose DNA tests established genetic markers of O.J and Nicole. The defence said the socks were placed by cops then blood put on them later at the police lab. Blood soaked through one sock to the other side a scenario that wouldn’t have happened had the sock been on a foot. This was compelling that this piece of evidence was tampered

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